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Friday, October 11, 2013

Where To Be Merry: FREE Admission to Museums @ “LA Museum Season”

The Merriment: Book 2+ nights at a participating hotel through discoverlosangeles.com and receive a voucher for two FREE adult admissions and/or discounts to 30 participating museums The Location: All throughout the Los Angeles area The Vibes: Very diverse; there are museums on a variety of topics, from specific ethnic groups to science, nature and even automobiles. They address social and environmental issues of the past, present and future. They are housed in massive, modern buildings to quaint houses and even outdoors. Varying art periods and styles, and interests and subject matters. Good for: Getting to know L.A.’s cultural side When-to-Go: Monday, Oct. 7 – Sunday, Nov. 17 With-Whom-to-Go: Good for two adult admissions The $ Factor: A $500 value, complimentary when booking 2+ nights at a participating hotel The 4-1-1: The arts pass not only offers free museum admission; it also offers 10% - 50% discounts and complimentary gifts at select museums

There are a few slight updates from last year. The six-week program now sports a new name—“LA Museum Season”—and two new partners—Metro and Amtrak—are onboard. But the gist remains the same: get FREE access to some of the most prominent and popular museums in Los Angeles.

A highlight for the 2013 season is that three iconic art institutions are celebrating anniversaries this year, and to commemorate the occasion, are implementing new exhibitions, permanent and temporary alike.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in South Los Angeles is celebrating its 100th anniversary with its largest exhibit yet: the 14,000-sq.-ft. Becoming Los Angeles exhibit that explores L.A.’s history, from its early days under Spanish rule, through World Wars and up until present day.
It’s the 25th anniversary of The Autry National Center in Griffith Park (pictured to the right), so it's celebrating with the addition of three new permanent exhibits: Art of the West, Four Centuries of Pueblo Pottery and Western Frontiers. They all pay homage to the inventions, art, people and landscapes that hail from the West.

And finally, one of my absolute favorites, The Getty Center, is marking its 15th anniversary perched atop the hills of Brentwood. Three new exhibitions will be launched for the remainder of the year, focusing on photography, GrecoRoman mythology influences in Western culture, and the correlation between sea travel and cultural exchanges.

Other interesting facts to note: Two museums that participated last year aren’t participating this year (LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes and El Pueblo Firehouse Museum), but four new museums have been added: Art Muse Los Angeles, Battleship USS Iowa, the Chinese American Museum and the Norton Simon Museum of Art.

* Denotes that they provide various discounts instead of complimentary museum admission.

So if you, or friends, family members, colleagues, etc. are in the need to book a three-day hotel stay in LA anytime from now until mid-November, make sure they do it through the LA Tourism website so that they can take advantage of visiting the city’s most attractive cultural and art institutions, and to celebrate some of their anniversaries, too.